Pickling apparatus



Nov. 29, 1949 l. zAJAc 2,489,605

PICKLING APPARATUS Filed July 29, 1948 BY I Patented Nov. 29, 1949 PICKLING APPARATUS Ignatius Zajac, McDonald, Ohio, assignor to Emanuel E. Evans, Poland, Ohio Application July 29, 1948, Serial No. 41,259

9 Claims. (Cl. 51--163) This invention relates to pickling apparatus for the pickling of rods, bars, tubes and the like.

The principal object vof the invention is the provision of a simplified and efficient device for moving groups of rods, bars, tubes and the like into and out of Ia pickling bath and to effect a rolling or tumbling action thereof.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a pickling apparatus completely eliminating the flexible supporting slings heretofore employed for the handling oi materials to be pickled.

A still further object of the invention isthe provision of aV pickling apparatus in which a group of rods, bars, tubes and the like may rest on stationary supports of a given contour and yokes positioned thereunder having a different contour from those of the stationary supports for periodically lifting the rods, bars, tubes and the like whereby the rods, bars, tubes and the like are imparted ya rolling and tumbling action so as to expose the complete surfaces thereof to the pickling material.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a simple hydraulically actuated pickling apparatus having material engaging portions of desirable fixed shapes.

' A still further object of the invention is the provision of a pickling apparatus incorporating means of desirable fixed shape for r-aising and lowering articles to be pickled and providingfor the tilting thereof at an angle to horizontal so that excess pickling material is permitted to drain back into the pickling tank at such times as, for example, tubular objects and the like are being pickled.

The pickling apparatus disclosed herein relates to a. simple highly efficient device for immersing elongated metal objects such as rods, bars and tubes and the like in a pickling bath and eliminates the heretofore believed necessary flexible slings and their attendant irregularities in operation, diiculty in adjustment and tendency to group the objects being pickled. Y

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention. A The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein: v

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the pickling apparatus with parts broken away.

Figure 2 is a horizontal cross section taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1 and on an enlarged scale with respect thereto.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional elevation of a modified form o1 pickling apparatus adapted for use in pickling coils of material.

By reierring to the dra-wings and Figures 1 and 2 in particular it will be seen that a pickling tank ID has been illustrated, the length of which is relatively greater than the width and depth thereof so that elongated workpieces such as indicated by the letter W may be accommodated therein. A plurality of stationary support members l I are positioned transversely in the pickling tank I0, the uppermost surfaces of which are of an irregular contour such as a flattened M shape. Each of the plurality of support members I I is provided with a relatively thin rib I2 rso that a minimum of surface of the workpieces W are contacted thereby.

In the illustrated form of the invention two groups of the support members II are illustrated (see Figure l) each of the groups comprising two of the support members I I spaced with respect to one another. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that as many of the support members II may be positioned in the pickling tank I0 as desired and depending upon the overall length thereof and the particular materials to be pickled therein. Movably positioned in the pickling tank IG there are a pair of yokes I3 each of which is of a general U` shape, as best shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, and the uppermost ends of the v arms of which are outturned, as indicated by the that the transversely extending bottom sections of the yokes I3 are formed with a desirable surface contour such as, for example, a modified W as shown in Figure 2 and in any event comprising a configuration different from that of the stationary support members Il heretofore described. It will be observed that the bottom portions Il of the yokes I3 are so formed as to be of a height less than that of the stationary support members II so that in their lowermost position, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, they lie completely below the uppermost surfaces of the stationary support members II.

Each of the hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies heretofore referred to includes a vertically movable piston rod I8 the uppermost ends of which are loosely pivotally affixed to the bosses I5 on the outer ends i4 of the yokes I3 and each of the hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies I6 has a pair of communicating pipes 2Q and 2| which are connected by means of suitable pressure piping with the appropriate ports of a fourway control valve 22 having a control lever 23 and also connected with a hydraulic pump4 24 by means of a communicating pipe 25. The hydraulic control valve 22 is also in communica.-

tion with a reservoir 26 by way of a pipe 2l and a pipe 28 establishes communication between the reservoir 26 and the hydraulic pump 24. An

electric motor or other suitable power source for,

the pump 24 is indicated by the numeral 29.

It Will thus be seen that in operating the pickling apparatus, the lmotor 2S is energized, the hydraulic pump 24 operated thereby and iluid pressure thus established which is directed by the four-way valve 22 to the hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies I which will uniformly elevate the yokes I3 with respect to the pickling tank I0 and the pickling liquid therein. Articles to be pickled may be placed in the yokes I3 on the bottoms Il thereof where they will be spread out and not grouped or, alternately, they may be positioned on the yokes while the same are in the pickling tank lll. In either event alternate up andy down motion of the yokes i3 as occasioned by the operation of the hydraulic piston and il cylinder assemblies I6 and the alternate reversing of the hydraulic control valve 22 will raise and lower and tumble and roll the workpieces W by reason of their alternate positioning on the stationary support members II of one surface contour and their positioning on the transverse bottom portions Il of the yokes I3 of another surface contour by manipulation of the control valve 22 or by the manipulation of other valves 3i) in the lines 2S and 2i. The opposed pairs of pistonand cylinder assemblies I5 as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings may be energized to a greater or lesser degree than the other opposed pairs thereof to the end that the Workpieces W may be tilted from horizontal so that the pickling liquid is eilectively drained therefrom particularly when tubular objects such as shown are being processed.

"The advantages of the pickling apparatus disclosed herein may apparent to those skilled in the art in that the heretofore customarily employed flexible slings suiciently formed of chain or roller chain are completely eliminated and the danger of accidental breakage thereof completely eliminated as well as the difhculty in the handling of the workpieces in positioning the same in the flexible slings and removing them therefrom.

The present invention also eliminates the heretofore employed longitudinally extending shafts which were used to actuate the ilexible slings as by rol-ling the same up. The pickling apparatus shown and described hereinmay be operated with but one power source such as the electric motor 29 (shown and described herein) and' thereby effect a savingsv in operation. Additionally, a superior pickling of the workpeces W is obtained as they are never bunched` or grouped tightly as is the case of 'the flexible sling operation heretofore known in the art.

3 In Figure 2 of the drawings broken lines indicate the uppermost position of the yokes I3 and the alternate positioning of the workpieces W therein. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that in operating the pickling apparatus the yokes I3 are raised and lowered a number of times to effect the desired pickling operation.

In Figure 3 of the drawings a modified construction is disclosed which is particularly adapted for the pickling of coils of strip material, for example. In Figure 3. of the, drawings support members are indicated by the numerals 3l. It; will be observed that they are positioned in spaced pairs so that their uppermost edges may engage the edges of a coil of strip material indicated by the. letter C. A yoke 32 is vertically positioned with respect to a 4pickling tank 33 in which the support members 3| are positioned and arranged for vertical motion in accordance with the. disclosure of Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings hereinbeore described. In the modification shown. in Figure 3 of the drawings the yoke is modied to include. a central upstanding cone 34 which will engage the center of the coil` C and raise itV or lower it to expose the convolutions of the e011 C to the pickling nquid.

It will thus be seen that the several objects of the invention are met by the pickling apparatus disclosed herein,

Having thus described my invention, what I claimis:

.1. A pickling apparatus for elongated workpieces and comprising a tank, a plurality of transversely positioned` support members in said tank, the upper edges of which are. each formed with a ridge and valleys and a plurality of vertically movable U-shaped yokes, the upper edges of the bottom portions of which are each formed with a ridge and valleys disposed in staggered relation with the said ridge and Valleys on the said support members, the ends of the arms of the U-shaped yokes being outturned and hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies` positioned'- beside the said tank and supporting the said yokes so that vertical movement may. be imparted to the said yokes thereby. v

2. A pickling apparatus for elongated work-V pieces and comprisingv a tank, a plurality of transversely positioned support mem-bers in said tank, the, upper edges of which are formed witha ridge and valleys and a plurality of vertically movable U-shaped yokes, the upper edges of the bottom portions of which are each formed with a ridge and valleys disposed in staggered' relation with the said ridge and valleys on the said support members, the ends of the arms of the U-shaped yokes being outturned and hydraulic piston and cylinder assembliesV positi'oned beside the said tank and supporting the. said yokes so that vertical movement may be imparted to the said yokes thereby, and contrer .means for said piston and cylinder assemblies,

whereby those adjacent one end of the tankmay be elevated to a greater or lesser degree than the others. l'

3. A pickling apparatus for bars, rods, tubes and the like, including a tank, a plurality of stationary material support members within the tank presenting upper transverse material er1-. gaging portions,V a plurality of yokes of xed; shape for suspending a plurality of work-pieces within the tank, the lower material supporting, portion-s of the yokes and the said upper transverse portions of the stationary support members having `oppositely sloping surfaces, .and means for lowering said yokesv bodily rectilinearly within the tank to deposit the work-pieces on the stationary support members and effect tumbling of the work-pieces.

4. A pickling apparatus for bars, rods, tubes and the like, including a tank, a plurality of stationary material support members within the tank presenting upper transverse material engaging portions, a plurality of yokes of xed shape for suspending a plurality `of such workpieces within the tank, the lower material supporting portions of the yokes and the said upper transverse portions of the stationary support members having oppositely sloping surfaces, and hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies for raising and lowering the said yokes bodily rectilinearly to alternately deposit work-pieces on the stationary support members and lift the same therefrom and thereby effect tumbling of the material.

5. A pickling apparatus for bars, rods, tubes and the like, including a tank, a plurality of stationary material support members within the tank, a plurality of movable material supporting yokes, the material engaging surfaces of the stationary support members and said yokes each having a ridge and valleys, the ridge and valleys of the stationary support members being arranged in staggered relation with the ridge and valleys of the yokes, and means for alternately raising and lowering said yokes bodily rectilinearly to alternately lower the material on to the stationary support members and to lift the same therefrom, and thereby eiect tumbling of the material.

6. A pickling apparatus for bars, rods, tubes and the like comprising an elongated tank, means for suspending a plurality of such pieces in said tank and for effecting a rolling, tumbling movement of the same, including a plurality of vertically movable yokes of general U-shape form disposed transversely of the tank, the arms of each of the yokes at the upper ends thereof having out-turned portions extending over and outwardly beyond opposite sides of the tank, and power Aoperated means located exteriorly of the tank at each side thereof operatively connected with said out-turned portions of the arms of the yokes for imparting vertical movement to the yokes.

7. A pickling apparatus for bars, rods, tubes and the like comprising an elongated tank, means for suspending a plurality -of such pieces in said tank and for eiecting a rolling, tumbling movement of the same, including a plurality of vertically movable yokes of general U- shape form disposed transversely of the tank, the arms of each of the yokes at the upper ends thereof having out-turned portions extending over and outwardly beyond opposite sides of the tank, and piston ana cylinder assemblies located at each side of the tank pivotally connected with the out-turned portions of the arms of the yokes so that vertical movement may be imparted to the same, and control means for said piston and cylinder assemblies whereby the piston and cylinder assemblies at each side lof the tank may be raised or lowered to a greater or lesser degree than the piston and cylinder assemblies at the other side of the tank.

8. A pickling apparatus for bars, rods, tubes and` the like comprising an elongated tank, means for suspending a plurality of such pieces in said tank and for effecting a rolling, tumbling movement of the same, including a plurality of vertically movable yokes of general U-shape form disposed transversely of the tank, stationary supports extending transversely within the tank cooperating with said yokes, the arms of each of the yokes at the upper ends thereof having out-turned portions extending over and outwardly beyond opposite sides of the tank, and hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies located exteriorly of the tank at each side thereof operatively connected with said out-turned portions of the arms of the yokes for imparting vertical movement to the yokes.

9. A pickling apparatus for bars, rods, tubes and the like comprising an elongated tank, and means for suspending a plurality of such pieces in said tank and for eiecting a rolling, tumbling movement of the same, said means including a plurality of vertically movable yokes of general U-shape form disposed transversely of the tank, the arms of each of the yokes at the upper ends thereof having out-turned portions extending over and outwardly beyond opposite sides of the tank, and a pair of hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies associated with each of said yokes for imparting vertical movement thereto, one of said piston and cylinder assemblies being located at each side of the tank and pivotally connected with one of the out-turned portions of one of the arms of the yoke, and control means for the piston and cylinder assemblies whereby the same can be individually and selectively raised or lowered.

IGNATIUS ZAJAC.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,859,085 Haller May 17, 1932 1,859,086 Hamm May 17, 1932 2,087,978 Keller July 27, 1937 

